Nikken Inc

Nikken Inc. has moved its North American headquarters to Irvine from Los Angeles. The company, a unit of Nihon Kenko Zoushin Kenkyuka Corp. of Japan, is a marketer of massage, pain-relief and nutritional items. The company expects to hire about 75 employees for the new facility and relocate another 75 employees from Los Angeles, a spokesman said.

Health and nutrition company Nikken spared few expenses when it built its $33.8-million headquarters in Irvine in 1999. The 213,000-square-foot structure was a testament to the high-flying days of a booming economy and included a three-story, curved rotunda made of glass and aluminum. The building provided Nikken with a comfortable, stylish place in which to do business, plus an unexpected perk: It soon became a favorite filming location for Hollywood studios.

A Japanese manufacturer of health and nutrition products, Nikken Inc., is planning an aggressive expansion that includes hiring more than 200 people and building a new $30-million North American and European headquarters in the Irvine Spectrum. Nikken, which moved to the Spectrum from Los Angeles about two years ago, will begin construction in July of a 213,000-square-foot facility that will house 500 people when completed in December 1998.

The courtroom battle between two of the world's largest direct-marketing companies was revived when a federal judge reinstated Amway Corp.'s patent infringement case against Nikken U.S.A. Inc. in Irvine. Amway, based in Ada, Mich., sued Nikken in June in a federal court in Nashville, alleging that the California company was copying patented designs for a line of magnetic pads that purportedly block pain signals from reaching the brain. Nikken countersued the multilevel marketing giant in U.S.

Nikken USA Inc., an Irvine-based direct marketing company that sells nutritional supplements and relaxation products, has filed a lawsuit accusing high-tech gadgets retailer Sharper Image Corp. of infringing on a patent for therapeutic magnets that fit inside shoes. In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Nikken contends it owns a 1984 U.S. patent for magnetized adhesive pads, including shoe insoles, thought to relieve foot pain.

Health and nutrition company Nikken spared few expenses when it built its $33.8-million headquarters in Irvine in 1999. The 213,000-square-foot structure was a testament to the high-flying days of a booming economy and included a three-story, curved rotunda made of glass and aluminum. The building provided Nikken with a comfortable, stylish place in which to do business, plus an unexpected perk: It soon became a favorite filming location for Hollywood studios.

Two of the world's largest direct marketing networks are suing each other, each contending the other copied its design for therapeutic body magnets. Amway Corp. struck first, filing a patent infringement lawsuit against Irvine-based Nikken U.S.A. Inc. on June 22 in federal court in Nashville. Amway, based in Ada, Mich., alleged that shortly after it introduced a line of magnetic pads that purportedly block pain signals from reaching the brain, Nikken and partner Nu-Magnetics Inc.

The courtroom battle between two of the world's largest direct-marketing companies was revived when a federal judge reinstated Amway Corp.'s patent infringement case against Nikken U.S.A. Inc. in Irvine. Amway, based in Ada, Mich., sued Nikken in June in a federal court in Nashville, alleging that the California company was copying patented designs for a line of magnetic pads that purportedly block pain signals from reaching the brain. Nikken countersued the multilevel marketing giant in U.S.

April 13, 2000 | DARYL STRICKLAND, Daryl Strickland covers real estate for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5670 and at daryl.strickland@latimes.com

Despite higher lease rates, business expansion is steadily driving new office-building construction in Orange County. Nearly 2.5 million square feet are under construction in the John Wayne Airport area and in South County, accounting for 91% of the area's new office space, according to a new report by Voit Commercial Brokerage, a Woodland Hills firm. "That's where the demand is," said Jerry Holdner, a Voit vice president.

Nikken Sekkei Ltd., one of Japan's largest architecture/engineering consulting firms with expertise in seismic engineering and earthquake research, has opened its first U.S. subsidiary in Los Angeles. The subsidiary, Nikken America Inc., has opened offices at 333 S. Hope St., Suite 2650. Its goal is "to develop a Pacific Rim architectural culture with influences from both countries' traditions."

Nikken USA Inc., an Irvine-based direct marketing company that sells nutritional supplements and relaxation products, has filed a lawsuit accusing high-tech gadgets retailer Sharper Image Corp. of infringing on a patent for therapeutic magnets that fit inside shoes. In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Nikken contends it owns a 1984 U.S. patent for magnetized adhesive pads, including shoe insoles, thought to relieve foot pain.

Two of the world's largest direct marketing networks are suing each other, each contending the other copied its design for therapeutic body magnets. Amway Corp. struck first, filing a patent infringement lawsuit against Irvine-based Nikken U.S.A. Inc. on June 22 in federal court in Nashville. Amway, based in Ada, Mich., alleged that shortly after it introduced a line of magnetic pads that purportedly block pain signals from reaching the brain, Nikken and partner Nu-Magnetics Inc.

A Japanese manufacturer of health and nutrition products, Nikken Inc., is planning an aggressive expansion that includes hiring more than 200 people and building a new $30-million North American and European headquarters in the Irvine Spectrum. Nikken, which moved to the Spectrum from Los Angeles about two years ago, will begin construction in July of a 213,000-square-foot facility that will house 500 people when completed in December 1998.

Nikken Inc. has moved its North American headquarters to Irvine from Los Angeles. The company, a unit of Nihon Kenko Zoushin Kenkyuka Corp. of Japan, is a marketer of massage, pain-relief and nutritional items. The company expects to hire about 75 employees for the new facility and relocate another 75 employees from Los Angeles, a spokesman said.

Plans for a new clubhouse at the Cypress Golf Club were given the go-ahead this week by the City Council, despite the concerns city staff members had about the building's design. Nikken America Inc. of Los Angeles will develop the two-story clubhouse, which includes space for banquet facilities. The council also approved the sale of alcohol at the site. City staff members were concerned that the clubhouse's contemporary design would not be compatible with a hotel that is planned for the area.

Since the age of 11, Alicia Hanna had suffered debilitating daily headaches that interfered with her concentration at school and made her feel just plain miserable. After years of gulping down nine ibuprofen tablets a day, she turned to pain specialists and more prescription pills than she can remember. In October, figuring she had nothing to lose, she joined hundreds of thousands of Americans tapping into a popular alternative treatment: magnet therapy.